BACKGROUND

“The Electoral Compass” is the global partnership for electoral assistance, established in 2021, between UNDP and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). Under the framework of UNDP’s Governance for People and Planet (G4PP) global programme, this initiative works with more than 145 partners at national, regional, and global levels to tackle systemic challenges that inhibit inclusive, credible, and safe electoral processes. The Electoral Compass has invested more than EUR 17.5 million in electoral assistance, including direct financial support to more than 25 countries across four regions. Hence, it has been a pivotal asset to achieve UNDP’s governance “moonshot”, reached in 2024, which entailed strengthening electoral processes for 800 million people by 2030. It has also been a key accelerator of Signature Solution 2 – Governance of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.
The Electoral Compass has four thematic priorities: 1) Institutional strengthening: Develop capacities in electoral management bodies (EMBs) and public institutions to protect voter’s rights, and ensure credible, safe, and inclusive elections; 2) Information Integrity: Evidence-based tools, methodologies and approaches to tackle the emerging forms of information pollution at national, regional, and global levels, including the development of UNDP’s “Digital Kit for Democracy”, a set of tools focused on fact-checking and social media analysis; 3) Political and electoral inclusion: Promote gender equality in political processes and inclusive democracies that enable the full participation of women, youth, LGBTIQ+ people, and other marginalized groups; 4) Digital democracy: Provide guidance on harnessing digital technologies to improve the functioning of democracy and empower citizens in the digital age.
The Digital Democracy Analyst will contribute to mainstreaming these thematic priorities across the global geographical footprint of the Electoral Compass. They will particularly focus on fostering research, knowledge exchange, evidence-gathering, and scaling up of good practices regarding information integrit, digital policy and digital transformation, with a special emphasis in the work carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the aims to promote intra and cross-regional cooperation. The Digital Democracy Analyst, home-based, reports to the Senior Electoral Advisor. They closely collaborate with the Democratic Institutions and Processes in a Digital Era team in the Bureau for Programme and Policy Support (BPPS), as well as the Governance and Gender clusters at the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC), and electoral assistance teams at all levels. The Digital Democracy Analyst will also collaborate with external actors in the information integrity and digital democracy sectors to map innovations and further strengthen UNDP’s programme and technology offer in the fields of information integrity, digital policy, and digital transformation. The Analyst is expected to travel on short- and long-term mission assignments globally.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Political Science; International Cooperation; Development Studies; Social Project Management; Media and Communication, or other related fields is required, or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor`s degree) in the above mentioned fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of master´s degree.

Experience:

• Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in the fields of governance, electoral assistance, or other development areas.
• Experience producing reports, advocacy and communication products for high-level audiences, particularly international donors.
• Experience in the field of digital media monitoring.
• Experience and knowledge of political communication, methodologies for social media monitoring/listening.

Desired additional skills and competences:

• Experience providing technical support and capacity building to country teams, particularly through standardized methodologies.
• Experience to collect and interpret a broad range of information from different sources, such as public opinion polls, social media, and election result.
• Experience to work under pressure, particularly during election period when quick analysis and rapid respond are required.
• Experience and knowledge of digital analytics tools and approaches, including but not limited to open-source APIs, Meta Content Library, Brandwatch, or similar technologies.

Languages:

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.
• Proficiency in another UN working language is desirable.

RIGHT TO SELECT MULTIPLE CANDIDATES

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

• Provide program support for the implementation of the Electoral Compass activities across its global geographical footprint, with an emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes technical support to UNDP counterparts, including electoral management bodies and parliaments, on issues related to information integrity, digital policy, and digital transformation.
• Support all reporting, advocacy, and communication activities related to the Electoral Compass, including leading evidence-gathering, systematization, and drafting of impact reports for donors, in close coordination with BPPS and all country offices involved. Additionally, participate in relevant external meetings, including partnership and advocacy initiatives with UN partners, permanent missions, and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of strategic events and cross-learning initiatives developed within the context of the Electoral Compass.
• Support the implementation of eMonitor+, UNDP’s in-house-built social media listening tool, in Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes, in close coordination with BPPS’ Digital Democracy Specialist, supporting the facilitation of training and capacity development programs on information integrity, digital policy, and digital transformation.
• Gather evidence on innovative approaches, tools, and best practices to strengthen UNDP’s global policy framework, program offering, and digital tool portfolio aimed at mapping and responding to online hate speech, disinformation, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Similarly, liaise with relevant UNDP units in BPPS, the Chief Digital Office, the Global Policy Centre, and the UN’s Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs to ensure the effective tailoring of the global offer on these issues to the particularities of the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
• Contribute to UNDP data gathering, research, policy development, and the implementation of activities related to the state of, opportunities for, and challenges in strengthening information integrity, rights-based digital policy, and digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Establish partnerships with regional organizations, CSOs, researchers, academics, technology firms, UN agencies, and INGOs working on information integrity, rights-based digital policy, and digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Support RBLAC and its country offices’ advocacy efforts to promote information integrity, rights-based digital policy, and digital transformation.
  The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.